2021 Birmingham Legion FC season
The 2021 Birmingham Legion FC season was the club's third season of existence and their third in the USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer.
| 2021 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owners | List
| |||
| Head coach | Tom Soehn | |||
| Stadium | BBVA Field | |||
| USL Championship | Central Div.: 2nd | |||
| USL Championship Playoffs | Conf. Semifinals | |||
| Biggest win | BIR 6–0 SKC (10/24) | |||
| Biggest defeat | LOU 2–0 BIR (6/16) TUL 3–1 BIR (8/17) | |||
|
| ||||
Roster
- As of May 17, 2021[1]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | GK | Ford Parker |  United States |
| 1 | GK | Matt Van Oekel | United States |
| 2 | MF | Marcos Ugarte | United States |
| 3 | DF | Phanuel Kavita |  DR Congo |
| 4 | DF | Freddy Kleemann (on loan from Austin FC) | United States |
| 5 | MF | Mikey Lopez | United States |
| 6 | MF | Anderson Asiedu |  Ghana |
| 7 | DF | Ryan James | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
| 8 | MF | Bruno Lapa |  Brazil |
| 10 | FW | Prosper Kasim | Ghana |
| 11 | FW | Neco Brett |  Jamaica |
| 12 | MF | Eli Crognale | United States |
| 13 | DF | Jake Rufe | United States |
| 16 | MF | Daigo Kobayashi |  Japan |
| 17 | MF | Jaden Servania |  Puerto Rico |
| 18 | GK | Trevor Spangenberg | United States |
| 20 | MF | Zach Herivaux |  Haiti |
| 21 | DF | Alex Crognale | United States |
| 22 | DF | Ben Ofeimu | United States |
| 23 | FW | JJ Williams | United States |
| 24 | DF | Jonathan Dean | United States |
| 25 | MF | Jackson Wrobel ([A]) | United States |
| 77 | FW | Junior Flemmings | Jamaica |
- ^ USL Academy Contract
Competitions
Exhibitions
| March 13 Preseason 1 | Birmingham Legion | 2–0 | Chattanooga FC | |
| Report |
| March 28 Preseason 2 | Birmingham Legion | 0–0 | Atlanta United FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 11:30 AM CDT | Report | Stadium: BBVA Field |
| March 28 Preseason 3 | Birmingham Legion | 0–1 | Atlanta United FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 02:00 PM CDT | Report | Walkes  33' |
Stadium: BBVA Field |
| April 9 Preseason 4 | Birmingham Legion | Cancelled | Nashville SC | |
| Report |
| April 17 Preseason 5 | Birmingham Legion | 4–1 | Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | Birmingham, AL |
| 10:30 AM CDT | Report | Stadium: BBVA Field |
USL Championship
Standings — Central Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville City FC | 32 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 61 | 37 | +24 | 61 | Advance to USL Championship Playoffs |
| 2 | Birmingham Legion FC | 32 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 51 | 31 | +20 | 60 | |
| 3 | Memphis 901 FC | 32 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 47 | 42 | +5 | 50 | |
| 4 | FC Tulsa | 32 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 47 | |
| 5 | OKC Energy FC | 32 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 30 | 38 | −8 | 37 |
Source: USL
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 |
Source: USLC Standings
Results by round
Match results
Birmingham's schedule was announced on March 30 featuring 32 matches, 28 of which were contested against Central Division opponents.[2]
| May 1 1 | Birmingham Legion | 0–1 | Indy Eleven | Birmingham, AL |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Asiedu  61' Williams  87' |
Report | Arteaga 28' Hamilton 90+5' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Attendance: 0 Referee: Greg Dopka |
| May 8 2 | Louisville City | 1–1 | Birmingham Legion | Louisville, KY |
| 6:30 PM CDT | McMahon 3' 58' Hubbard 60' DelPiccolo 60' Souahy 74' Gómez 90' |
Report | Brett 60' (pen.) |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 7,652 Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| May 15 3 | Birmingham Legion | 1–0 | Memphis 901 | Birmingham, AL |
| 3:30 PM CDT | Asiedu 10' Rufe 53' Brett 60' |
Report | Carroll 20' Oduro 57' |
Stadium: Legion Field Attendance: 10,177 Referee: Kyle Johnston |
| May 22 4 | San Antonio | 2–1 | Birmingham Legion | San Antonio, TX |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Patiño 1' 18' Varela 25' Cuello 60' Fogaça 74' Lindley 81' Perruzza 81' |
Report | Kavita 18' Brett 90+4' |
Stadium: Toyota Field Attendance: 3,845 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk |
| May 26 5 | Birmingham Legion | 1–0 | OKC Energy | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Lapa 49' Kleemann 51' |
Report | Brown 18' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Attendance: ? Referee: Matthew Thompson |
| May 30 6 | Atlanta United 2 | 0–1 | Birmingham Legion | Kennesaw, GA |
| 2:30 PM CDT | Mertz 49' Allan 73' |
Report | Herivaux 89' Lapa 90+3' (pen.) |
Stadium: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Referee: Thomas Snyder |
| June 6 7 | Birmingham Legion | 2–1 | FC Tulsa | Birmingham, AL |
| 4:00 PM CDT | Brett 30', 75' James 43' |
Report | Folla 47' Suarez 83' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| June 12 8 | OKC Energy | 1–2 | Birmingham Legion | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Bijev 50', 73' (pen.) |
Report | Brett 3' Asiedu 37' James 66' Oekel 73' Williams 83' |
Stadium: Taft Stadium Attendance: 2,049 Referee: Mark Allatin |
| June 16 9 | Louisville City | 2–0 | Birmingham Legion | Louisville, KY |
| 6:30 PM CDT | McCabe 24' Lancaster 25' (pen.) Matsoso 48' |
Report | A. Crognale 90' |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Referee: Lukasz Szpala |
| June 19 10 | Birmingham Legion | P–P | Austin Bold | Birmingham, AL |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Jonathan Bilinski | |||
| Note: Match postponed due to inclement weather.[3] | ||||
| June 23 11 | Miami FC | 0–1 | Birmingham Legion | Miami, FL |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Ballard 19' Akinyode 67' Martínez 89' |
Report | Williams 4' A. Crognale 40' Asiedu 70' Herivaux 79' Brett 82' Lopez 89' |
Stadium: FIU Soccer Stadium Referee: John Griggs |
| June 30 12 | Birmingham Legion | A–A | Atlanta United 2 | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:00 PM CDT | James 24' Brett 41' |
Report | McFadden 13' Kamdem Fewo 19' Washington 30' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Matthew Corrigan |
| Note: Match abandoned at half-time due to weather with score tied at 1–1[4] | ||||
| July 3 13 | Indy Eleven | 0–1 | Birmingham Legion | Indianapolis, IN |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Ouimette 7' Ayoze 76' |
Report | Brett 8' (pen.) Lapa 29' Servania 65' |
Stadium: Michael A. Carroll Stadium Attendance: 6,999 Referee: Jervis Atagana |
| July 10 14 | Birmingham Legion | 0–1 | Memphis 901 FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 6:30 PM CDT | James 62' |
Report | Salazar 27' Oduro 45+2' Murphy 53' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| July 24 15 | Indy Eleven | 1–2 | Birmingham Legion | Indianapolis, IN |
| 6:00 PM CDT | Kavita 77' (o.g.) |
Report | Servania 45+1' Kasim 54' A. Crognale 64' Dean 90+1' |
Stadium: Michael A. Carroll Stadium Attendance: 5,999 Referee: Kevin Fikar |
| July 31 16 | Birmingham Legion | 2–2 | Atlanta United 2 | Birmingham, AL |
| 8:00 PM | Lopez 52' Brett 66' (pen.) Flemmings 69' Dean 80' A. Crognale 90+1' |
Report | McFadden 35' Fortune 56' Kamdem Fewo 65' Mertz 86' Matheus 90+6' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: John Matto |
| August 4 12 | Birmingham Legion | 3–1 | Atlanta United 2 | Birmingham, AL |
| 8:00 PM | Williams 11' Lopez 49'Flemmings 51' Dean 81' E. Crognale 89' |
Report | Goodrum 9' McFadden 40' Bauer 62' Fortune 90+3' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Ben Meyer |
| Note: Re-schedule of abandoned June 30 match.[5] | ||||
| August 7 17 | FC Tulsa | 3–1 | Birmingham Legion | Tulsa, OK |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Jadama 71' Sheldon 25' Marlon 88', 89' Kibato 90+1' Ayagwa 80' |
Report | Brett 45+1', 66' (pen.) Vancaeyezeele 77' Rufe 84' |
Stadium: ONEOK Field Attendance: 3,389 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
| August 11 18 | Birmingham Legion | 4–2 | Sporting Kansas City II | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:00 PM | Brett 7' Williams 70' Flemmings 81' Asiedu 90+1' |
Report | Čuić 4' Duke 68' Roberts 74' Barbir 90+3' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: John Griggs |
| August 14 19 | Memphis 901 FC | 1–1 | Birmingham Legion | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:30 PM CDT | Murphy 58' |
Report | Flemmings 37' |
Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 4,864 Referee: Gabriele Giusti |
| August 22 20 | Birmingham Legion | 1–2 | FC Tulsa | Birmingham, AL |
| 4:00 PM CDT | Flemmings 68' |
Report | Johnson 8' Suárez 56' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Sergii Demianchuk |
| August 28 21 | Birmingham Legion | 2–1 | Louisville City FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Dean 16' Lopez 44' Brett 51' Williams 78' |
Report | Watts 50' DelPiccolo 62' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Brad Jensen |
| September 1 22 | Sporting Kansas City II | 0–1 | Birmingham Legion | Kansas City, KS |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Report | Kasim 42' Lopez 63' Williams 69' |
Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Referee: Brandon Stevis |
| September 4 23 | Memphis 901 FC | 3–2 | Birmingham Legion | Memphis,TN |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Kissiedou 45+2' Lamah 90+3' Gonzalez 90+6' |
Report | Kasim 42' Vancaeyezeele 43' Dean 70' A. Crognale 79' E. Crognale 83' Lopez 87' |
Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 3,162 Referee: Luis Guardia |
| September 11 24 | FC Tulsa | 1–1 | Birmingham Legion | Tulsa, OK |
| 7pm CDT | Da Costa 12' Suárez 29' (pen.) Coutinho 88' |
Report | Kasim 53' Lopez 65' Williams 80' |
Stadium: ONEOK Field Attendance: 3,439 Referee: Natalie Simon |
| September 18 25 | Birmingham Legion | 1–1 | OKC Energy | Birmingham, AL |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Flemmings 47' Lopez 55' |
Report | Kurimoto 35' Bijev 39' Batista 65' Ellis-Hayden 81' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Matthew Franz |
| September 22 26 | Atlanta United 2 | 0–4 | Birmingham Legion | Kennesaw, GA |
| 7:30 PM | Conway 47' Matheus 56' Kamdem Fewo 88' |
Report | Vancaeyezeele 17' Servania 71' Brett 78', 90+3' Kasim 82' |
Stadium: Fifth Third Bank Stadium Attendance: 717 Referee: Luis Arroyo |
| September 26 27 | Birmingham Legion | 2–1 | Charlotte Independence | Birmingham, AL |
| 4:00 PM CDT | Asiedu 21' Brett 25' Williams 41' Lopez 66' E. Crognale 70' Herivaux 85' |
Report | Fuchs 16' Armour 82' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Gerald Flores |
| October 1 28 | Sporting Kansas City II | 0–1 | Birmingham Legion | Kansas City, KS |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Davis 56' |
Report | A. Crognale 10' Lopez 52' |
Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Referee: DeShun Beard |
| October 10 29 | Birmingham Legion | 3–1 | Indy Eleven | Birmingham, AL |
| 4:00 PM CDT | Brett 8' Kavita 45' Vancaeyezeele 54' E. Crognale 74' Rufe 90+4', 90+4' |
Report | Law 42' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Sergii Demianchuk |
| October 13 10 | Birmingham Legion | 3–1 | Austin Bold | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Taylor 15' (o.g.) Brett 75' Lapa 82' Kavita 90+3' |
Report | Adaptation 23', 61' Báez 26' Rissi 88' Guadarrama 90+3' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: John Griggs |
| Note: Re-schedule of postponed June 19th match. | ||||
| October 17 30 | OKC Energy FC | 0–0 | Birmingham Legion | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 5:00 PM CDT | Osmond 90+3' Chavez 90+5' |
Report | A. Crognale 52' Asiedu 88' Lopez 90+2' Kavita 90+4' |
Stadium: Taft Stadium Attendance: 3,246 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
| October 24 31 | Birmingham Legion | 6–0 | Sporting Kansas City II | Birmingham, AL |
| 4:00 PM | Herivaux 4', 63' Lapa 18', 39' Brett 31' Kavita 40' Asiedu 45' Flemmings 70' Kasim 76' |
Report | Lenis 86' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Greg Dopka |
| October 30 32 | Birmingham Legion | 0–1 | Louisville City FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 6:30 PM CDT | Asiedu 34' James 87' |
Report | Jimenez 38' Gomez 55' Gonzalez 75' Hoppenot 82' |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Matthew Thompson |
USL Cup Playoffs
| November 7 Conf. QF | Birmingham Legion | w/o | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Birmingham, AL |
| 4:00 PM CST | Report | Stadium: BBVA Field | ||
| Note: Match canceled after multiple Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players tested positive for COVID-19.[6] | ||||
| November 13 Conf. SF | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–0 | Birmingham Legion | St. Petersburg, FL |
| 6:00 CST | Ekra 57' Scarlett 90+4' |
Report | A. Crognale 39' Kasim 46'E. Crognale 89'Williams 90+3' |
Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 5,949 Referee: Elton García |
Statistics
Appearances and goals
| No. | Pos. | Name | USL | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 1 | GK | Matt Van Oekel |
9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2 | MF | Marcos Ugarte |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Phanuel Kavita |
9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Freddy Kleemann |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | Mikey Lopez |
4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | Anderson Asiedu |
9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | DF | Ryan James |
9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Bruno Lapa |
9 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
| 10 | FW | Prosper Kasim |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Neco Brett |
9 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| 12 | MF | Eli Crognale |
9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | Jake Rufe |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | Daigo Kobayashi |
6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | Jaden Servania |
8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Zachary Herivaux |
6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Alex Crognale |
5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | Ben Ofeimu |
7 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | JJ Williams |
8 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 24 | DF | Jonathan Dean |
8 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 77 | FW | Junior Flemmings |
6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Source: Stats
Disciplinary record
| No. | Pos. | Name | USL | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |||
| 1 | GK | Matt Van Oekel |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Phanuel Kavita |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | Freddy Kleemann |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | Anderson Asiedu |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | DF | Ryan James |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | Jake Rufe |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Zachary Herivaux |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Alex Crognale |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | JJ Williams |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Stats
Clean sheets
| No. | Name | USL | Total | Games Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Ford Parker |
0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Matt Van Oekel |
3 | 3 | 9 |
| 18 | Trevor Spangenberg |
0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Stats
References
- "Team Roster". BHMLegion.com. Birmingham Legion FC. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- "Legion FC's 2021 USL Championship Schedule Unveiled". bhmlegion.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- "Legion FC Match vs. Austin Bold Abandoned". uslchampionship.com. June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- "Birmingham Legion FC vs. Atlanta United 2 Contest Postponed". USLChampionship.com. June 30, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- "Atlanta United 2 vs. Birmingham Legion FC Contest Rescheduled". atlutd.com. Atlanta United Communications. July 12, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- "Birmingham Legion FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Playoff Match Canceled". USLChampionship.com. USL Championship. November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
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